Destiny of Love
by Elbourne
Summary: Elbourne Hawke invites Fenris on a quest to hunt slavers, but the two end up in a heated argument and reconciliation of the night they shared so many years ago. Takes place after the end of DA:2.


"Damn it Fenris, for once in your blasted life, just let me help you..." Elbourne tugged at her companion's leather bracers, much to his resistance.

The elf rolled his eyes slightly. "Hawke, I'm fine."

"Like hell you aren't." With a final pull, the piece of armor came loose, revealing the wound below. "You should know by now you can't hide these things from me." Elbourne grimaced slightly at the sight of the gash on his arm; it appeared to be from a blade. "Didn't quite block this one, huh?"

"It's just a scratch. I was going to take care of it when I returned home." Fenris narrowed his eyes, observing Hawke as she reached into her satchel for a salve. The wound did sting, however at this point he had become accustomed to hiding pain rather well. A few moments went by and she was still rummaging. The slightest bit of a smirk crept across his lips, "Didn't quite remember one, huh?"

"Oh, shut up." Elbourne sighed, it would appear the elf was right. She scanned their surroundings, wondering if she would be so lucky as to stumble on an elfroot plant. "I know you don't want me to, but I can heal it with-"

"No. I told you already, it's nothing. We should move on."

The pair had stopped for rest after a battle with some raiders, on a hill overlooking the Wounded Coast. Elbourne had asked him to accompany her after receiving a tip about a regrouping in the old slaver dens, thinking he would appreciate the opportunity to hunt down a magister or two.

"This looks pretty nasty. I'd rather be safe than sorry." Hawke scoffed and shifted her weight, keeping his arm firmly in her lap. "Besides, it's not like I'm going to use blood magic. I'm not Merrill."

"I'm fully aware." Fenris scowled, but relaxed slightly. He'd known Elbourne for several years now, and had never seen even a hint of forbidden magic from her. Glancing down at the gash on his arm, he became more aware of its pain. "Fine. Make it quick."

Channeling a bit of mana to her fingertips, Elbourne softly hovered them over his arm, closing her eyes and allowing the spell to flow. A soft glow formed over her face, and the elf watched as his skin began to mend itself, eventually closing up the wound entirely.

"There." Hawke pulled back, readjusting the bracer over his arm and sliding the buckle through. Leaning back onto the soft grass, a tired sigh passed her lips.

Fenris noticed this, blinking slowly before joining her on the grass, resting his arms behind his head. "Something wrong?"

Glancing over at him, Elbourne smirked. "Nah. Healing just takes more out of me than regular spells." Adverting her eyes to the dusky sky, she added, "It was more of Bethany's strong suit... And Anders' as well, I suppose."

"Mm." The elf gave a half-hearted response at the mention of Anders, and let his own eyes trail up to the sky, seemingly lost in thought. It had been little more than a year since the incident with the Chantry, and while the city had slowly repaired damages from the battle, the scar left in everyone's heart and mind was taking longer to mend. "I still can't believe you let that pathetic excuse for a man live."

His comment jerked Hawke out of her daze, and she sat up a bit, propping herself up on one elbow. She had convinced Anders to stay on her side and fight the templars, but it was only days after he fled Kirkwall. "Anders was a good man, with good intentions. He meant well, I know he did, he just... went about it the wrong way."

"I have a hard time believing that blowing up the Chantry and inciting an all-out war between templars and mages had anything to do with 'good intentions,'" Fenris sighed. "However, I won't argue about it with you any longer. It's obvious I cannot change your mind about him."

There was a sting to his last statement, which did not go unnoticed by the female mage. "Your situation was not quite so different than his, you know," the mage hesitated slightly, but continued at the risk of argument. "You have a distrust of all mages because of an injustice done to you and fellow slaves. He has a similar distrust of all templars because of an injustice done to mages."

There was a long, thick silence before Fenris replied. "Templars cannot make deals with demons. Templars do not have a connection to the fade which allows them to bring chaos into this world. Templars cannot use blood magic." His tone was calmer than Hawke had expected, and she furrowed her brow.

"You know I don't use, nor do I condone blood magic. But you're intelligent, Fenris. Can you really condemn all mages for the sins of some? Are we all marked as dangerous and evil because we have more willpower than others?"  
"I'm not saying that," the elf spat, and for a moment, Elbourne thought he was going to lose it. "I... Hawke." He calmed down slightly, moving a little closer to her and catching her gaze with his own as he continued. "You are proof that there is still good left in magic. In fact, you alone give me hope that perhaps this war can be compromised. Anders went too far, you cannot change my mind about that. However, the last thing I want you to assume is that my personal hatred of mages is carried out towards you as well."

"I know." Elbourne smiled gently. "I just... The fact that I'm a mage pushes me to sympathize with Anders, but my instinct to uphold peace and values pushes me to sympathize with you, and the templars." A gentle breeze began to blow, pulling up the scent of the sea. She took a deep breath, enjoying the saltiness in the air. "The fact that you stayed with me, and fought against Meredith says a lot. Of course, we found out that her cause went far beyond hating mages. She was just pure-bred crazy."

Fenris laughed, "I would say so. Both her and Orsino had some serious problems." The smile faded from his face as he went on, "Unfortunately, I feel like those two were the embodiment of either side. This war between templars and mages isn't going to end prettily."

"Ugh, don't remind me." Hawke pushed herself up, and held out a hand to her companion. "I think I've had enough politics for today, though. Come on, I want to have a little fun tonight. We'll hunt out some more magisters in the morning, yes?"

Fenris took her hand, pulling himself up to stand beside her. "Speaking of our hunt, I had a question."

They began to walk to the beach, towards the cove they had been spending the recent nights in. "Mm?"

"Why did you only ask me to come with you? Isabela and Varric are both still in town, I'm sure they would have joined us if you'd asked."

Hawke smirked, glancing over at him. "Are you saying you don't like being alone with me, Fenris?"

The elf stopped, cocking his head. "I'm... sorry?"

Turning to face him, Elbourne laughed, "I'm only joking, Fenris. I asked you because hunting down magisters is more of your thing. Don't get me wrong, I love having Varric and Isabela around, but... I wanted this to be a little more special." She stammered a little, trying to chose the right words. "I thought you would appreciate it more if it were just us."

The elf stared at her for a moment, contemplating her words. "Hawke... is this about-"

"-no." The mage promptly turned on her heel and continued walking. At this point it was nearly completely dark outside, the smallest tinges of pinks and purples lining the horizon. He had, of course, been referring to the night they'd spent together many years ago, something that had never come up in conversation since, and something she would rather had come to fruition or not happened at all. "There's no hidden meaning behind this," she added after a long silence- a lie, of course. "Don't go looking for it."

"I don't believe you."

This reply caused Hawke to stop dead in her tracks, spinning around. He was standing right in front of her, staring down with those deep green eyes. "I'm sorry?"

"Anders asked you to leave with him after the battle. You didn't go with him."

Elbourne furrowed her brow, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"You really don't know how he felt about you?" Fenris's reply was almost mocking, and she could tell he was trying to push her into the truth.

"I was blatantly aware of it. I even considered it."

"Yet you did nothing about it."  
Hawke sighed, "Do you really want to get into this right now?"

"I really do."

"...Fine." Reaching up, Elbourne unstrapped her weapons and pack, letting them fall to the ground. "I would be lying if I said I felt nothing for Anders. I believed in his cause, I could relate to it. I'm an apostate myself. If I had gone with him, maybe we could have done more good than me staying here. Maybe we could have formed some sort of life, maybe we could have had a chance together. It seemed like the perfect option, like the perfect thing to do- two apostates, on the loose after a noble battle against a crazed templar that left a city in ruins." Hawke paced from side to side, trying to organize her words, but it felt like everything she was holding in was spilling out uncontrollably. "I even had everything packed, I was ready to run. But when I tried to leave Kirkwall... I couldn't. Something was holding me back, something I should have addressed a long time ago, but I didn't. I couldn't find the nerve, I couldn't put my feelings into an explanation that even came close." She paused, stopping to simper up at him. "I didn't leave, because deep down I wanted to stay in Kirkwall... I didn't leave because of you, Fenris."

Suddenly, Hawke was far too aware of her heart beating in her chest, the sand beneath her feet, and the handsome elf standing in front of her, scrutinizing her every word and watching her pour out everything she'd held in for years on end. Yet, he said nothing, and only continued to stare at her.

"I..." She let out a frustrated sigh, "This is what you wanted, isn't it? It was too much to be with me, wasn't it?" Her words were becoming increasingly more emotional, but she held back the quiver in her lips and shoulders. "I didn't pursue anything with Anders because of that night we had together. I couldn't even look at another man after I had you. And yet, here we are. Fenris, you have no idea what I went through after you left me. It was the most difficult thing I've ever had to live with. Killing a thousand abominations would be easy in comparison. Do you know how hard it is to be around you? That night, I got a taste of freedom, a taste of love, only to have it taken away because you 'weren't ready.' What does that even mean?! You even said it was amazin-"

Without warning, the elf closed the distance between them, taking her face in his hands and kissing her with a burning passion she'd never believed he was capable of. Moments later, he had pushed her to the ground, keeping her pulled against him with no space in-between.

Slowly, he broke the kiss, leaving them both breathless and panting. "I just needed to hear you say it," he said softly, hands moving to the small of her back. "I've been waiting for you, Hawke. I had to make sure this is what you wanted before making this plunge." His voice was a raspy whisper that sent chills down Elbourne's spine. "I... didn't want to force you into anything."

Hawke's lips parted in surprise and slight disbelief as she stared at him, before raising a hand to rest on the back of his neck, pulling him down for another deep kiss. It felt like hours before they finally pulled back, nuzzling foreheads.

"Fenris..." Elbourne whispered, basking in the warmth of his embrace. "Why did you wait so long, damnit?"

The elf chuckled, planting a kiss on the tip of her nose. "For the same reasons you did, I suspect."

A soft smile graced Hawke's lips, catching his gaze with her own. "So, tell me then. Do you think you could fall in love with a mage?"

Fenris's smile mirrored her own, and he leaned in for another kiss, whispering, "I think I already have."


End file.
